(via Shutterstock)
There was a time, believe or not, when TV terrified me.
Way back in the mid-1960s, when Mum and Dad were missionaries in what is now Bangladesh, we lived in a number of small hinterland towns where TV was NOT; so, the first time I encountered it was in a guesthouse in Malaysia where I walked into a room where an opera singer was belting out an aria on a TV.
Having absolutely no reference for a woman singing in a box, I screamed then looked behind the TV then ran to my Mum who assured me there was nothing to worry about and actually a lot to like.
Those reassuring words clearly stuck because in the many, many years since I have consumed a LOT of TV and honestly the 60 shows that follow are a mere drop in the ocean of all the programs I have watched.
You’ll see a clear predilection for sitcoms and sci-fi and shows with a quirky, magically real bent, but I have watched all kinds of serious shows in my time, my taste in TV very much reflecting my eclectic tastes in everything which included all kinds of TV shows as a kid including Adventure Island, Mr Benn, Flower Pot Men, Captain Pugwash, and The Wombles.
Yes, you can safely safe TV and now streaming and I are very good friends indeed, with more shows on my To Watch list than I have time to view, a common lament in this ridiculous age of TV plenty.
- The Goodies (1970-1982)
2. The Good Life (1975-1978)
3. To the Manor Born (1979-1981; 2007)
4. The Vicar of Dibley (1994-2000; specials, latest 2020)
5. Stargate SG1 (1997-2006)
6. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)
7. Newhart (1982-1990)
8. The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019)
9. Friends (1994-2004)
10. Hart to Hart
11. Gilmore Girls
12. Fringe (2008-2013)
13. That ’70s Show (1998-2006)
14. ALF (1986-1990)
15. Greenacres (1965-1971)
16. Sports Night (1998-2000)
17. The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971)
18. F Troop (1965-1967)
19. Eureka (2006-2012)
20. Dharma & Greg (1997-2002)
21. Dad’s Army (1968-1977)
22. Parks and Recreation (2009-1015)
23. The Good Place (2016-2020)
24. The Muppet Show (1976-1981)
25. CHiPs (1977-1983)
26. Community (2009-1014)
27. Frasier (1993-2004)
28. Miranda (2009-2015)
29. Mad About You (1992-1999)
30. The Great North (2021-2025)
31. Grace and Frankie (2015-2022)
32. Only Murders in the Building (2021-present)
33. Foundation (2021-present)
34. The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel (2017-2023)
35. Ted Lasso (2021-2023; renewed 2025)
36. Escape to the Country (2002-present)
37. Star Wars: The Mandalorian (2019-2023)
38. Nobody Wants This (2024-present)
39. Wednesday (2022-present)
40. Loot (2022-present)
41. Law and Order (1990-present incl. 11-year hiatus)
42. Warehouse 13 (2009-2014)
43. ER (1994-2009)
44. Murphy Brown (1988-1998; 2018-2019)
45. Family Ties (1982-1989)
46. Charlie’s Angels (1976-1981)
47. Britain’s Most Historic Towns (2018-2020)
48. Secret Scotland (2019-2020)
49. Here’s Lucy (1968-1974)
50. The Walking Dead (2010-2022)
51. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022-present)
52. Shrinking (2023-present)
53. Heartstopper (2022-present)
54. Looking (2014-2016)
55. Trying (2020-present)
56. Star Trek: Discovery (2017-2024)
57. Poker Face (2023-2025)
58. Sesame Street (1969-present)
59. Russian Doll (2019-2022)
60. Sex Education (2019-2023)